Macallan Batch 4, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 44.3%

Only the third Macallan to feature here, or is that meant to read already the third Macallan to feature here.

I firmly believe that the Macallan is at heart a fundamentally classy whisky. It’s just been somewhat mishandled of late, which tends to happen when you mix a good product, a hot market and people who’ve bought yachts looking for something to drink on board. Not that I have anything against people who own yachts, or the whisky in the lalique bottle (which I am sure is excellent). But if you centre your visibility as a a superluxury brand, premiumise your mid tier range, and refocus away from or hamstring your core range, where does it leave your brand when the tide changes, as it surely will. It makes marketing sense now, but damages your brand equity in the long run.

Macallan’s mis-steps are surely someone else’s boon, and Glendronach deftly stepped up to fill the void. Single cask 20 yo first fill sherry for under 200 quid! Solid core range up to 21 years with a very high proportion of sherry! Well anyway, not to bash any brand, remember marketing is not the fault of the very earnest Scot whose sweat and blood trickles out of the worm tubs as spirit.

Also, a very entertaining label from the Masters of Malt. This one highlights the ‘curiously’ small stills the distillery is famous for.

Nose: Well it’s not huge, in fact rather subtle. Going with refill sherry here. Ok a hearty sweet cereal core, dressed with some golden raisins and marmalade. That smell soft drinks have, carbonic acid? Quite a bit of dried orange peel and lime zest plus… celery juice. In other words, rather normal.

Palate: Bigger on the palate, oats and sweet biscuits topped with jam. Hmm mix of some sweet spice, some aniseed, sweet black tea here and there but gets drier towards the finish.

Finish: Dry, slightly vegetal, slightly metallic.

Acutally better on the tongue than on the nose, how rare. Did that convince the folks at Masters of Malt? Not bad, quite alright, but just that. You almost suspect they were relying on the name.